Spentism
Spentism is a monotheistic religion, with the Ayim as its foundational text and various supplementary texts such as the Saulimur. The tradition is largely based on teachings attributed to the Parbatian Prophet Hartan. According to Spentist tradition, Hartan lived and taught along the southern reaches of the Arges, around the 7th century LE. Spentism teaches that there is a conflict between the forces of Gihar ( "Chaos" ) and Bamsu ( "Order" ) and that humanity must take a stand and choose good so that chaos may be destroyed once and for all. There are two main branches of Spentism currently in practice, Sabatian and Sarassic Spentism. Sarassic Spentism has a widespread following on the Illuvian Plateau, Sanacery and the southernmost islands in the Trebian Sea while Sabatian Spentism is found in Parbatia, the Aborean subcontinent and Athelia. Beliefs Theology Spentists believe that there is one all-powerful, all-knowing, all-present and all-good deity they call Spenta (from the Parbatian "Spanta" of the same root as the Parbatian word for hearth) and that all of creation was brought into being by Spenta's word. She is viewed as a personal god and as such, there is no need for intermediaries such as the clergy however they are kept as keepers of the faith's traditions and beliefs. The Ayim refers to her as a mother-like figure to her children and frequently uses metaphors and characteristics commonly associated with motherhood, which is why she is often referred to as female in writings though Spentist theology does not attribute to Spenta either sex or gender. Followers of Sarassic Spentism believe that Sabatian Spentism had corrupted the teachings of Hartan and has fallen into the influence of Gihar. The sect was founded in 253 LE by Sarashik, an Illuvian priest who believed that the Ankida ( believers of Spentism ) had become corrupt and reforms were needed. Spentist hell is a world of dust and darkness, sad and grey. It is the dark "land of no return" and the "house which none leaves who enters", with dust on its door and bolt. The dead eat dust and thirst. Its food is bitter and its water brackish and undrinkable so they eat dust and clay. These spirits wander the vast expanse of hell for all eternity with no clothing, the air damp and dark and uncomfortable. Tamaal has been banished by Spenta to this realm along with his demons and they suffer along with the dead. Angels push him back to hell every day and ensure that his minions do not go elsewhere. Heaven is a world of great comfort and is pleasant, filled with Her radiance. It is moost pure, most fragrant, and brilliant. There is no pain or discomfort and is a constantly beneficial place, full and unending space. Adherents walk barefooted iin temples and dress in white(no animal products). You must bathe before coming and wash all open body parts with purified water. Pray standing or if not able, pray with you legs tuck beneath you facing the water or statue. A bell in the inner sanctuary is rung before sistra are rattled and the offering of incense and the recitation of the Ayme.Stop everything during this time and rid yourself of all thought, focusing solely on the Word. Worshippers gatger at the edges of the temple and the priest sprinkles water on them. Angels are those who have passed into the world of Spenta and wish to bring others there. They are dead but they return to our world to assist in bringing people to heaven. They guide the living and bless them and will ultimately help defeat Tamaal and helpp keep his forces at bay. Sarassic Spentism translates the Ayim and other religious texts into the local language of the areas where practitioners are in. Sarashik himself, founder of the branch, spoke Illuvian and translated the Ayme into Illuvian. Priests are not required to shave all of their body hair and are allowed to have families. Priests take the five vows first before they enter the priesthood. The first stage is entering the priesthood. The second involves attending at the Ayim rituals and helping out at the temple as well as learning doctrines and Illuvian and Parbatian. Priests do not see their families at this time and help priests in services for the community such as counseling, education, healing, orphanages, homes for the aged and sick and others which are all held in areas near the temple or in it. Priests are not allowed to leeave the temple precinct at this stage. Once this stage is done after 6 months, one can become a novice and begin participating at rituals instead of just watching and helpinjg in preparations. The novice can then become a priest once a priest deems that they are ready. The final vow can be taken only three times in life as they can be renounced but can be retaken again. Sarassic priests use Illuvian for religious terms and for communication with other priests. For Spentist ritual implements, Incense Burner shaped like arm, situla, oil lamp, sistrum, ayme and a vase with a spout for holding water. there is a seventy beaded prayer beads for praying Sarassic Priests encircle the mound while reciting an ayim. The Ayim has 14 chapters reflecting what is to be done during the ayim ceremony. 1-opens with the praise of spenta, enumerating her titles as well as the angels and invites them to the service. 2-presentation of incense and offerings and their consecration 3-spentist creed and declaration of faith 4-the three sacred prayers 5-10-the most sacred part of the text, hymns to Spenta for protection, guidance, and others which reflect the life of Hartan 11-appealing to the seven holy angels 12-blessing upon the just 13-praising spenta for her antri-demon powers and the universe she has made 14-the closing rite and closing of the shrine an ayim usually takjes 30 minutes to complete In Sarassic Spentism, followers are forbidden in the temple during the Ayin while in Sabatic Spentism they are allowed. Upon reaching a temple one will take off their shoes then one will shake a sistrum thrice at its entrance before washing the areas of one's body that are shown with the water from a pool. The worshipper may then offer flowers or food to Spenta by leaving them at the left altar, any offerings will be donated to the poor afterwards. Wood is then offered by leaving it at the right altar which will then be taken by a priest into the inner sanctum just before one of the three Great Rites of the day. The Great Rites are held at morning, noon and evening. Worshippers sit at the edges of the temple and face the sacred fire while praying. A Great Rite will begin with the priest offering incense to the shrine while sistra are rang before opening it, by breaking the seal and untying the rope around the door knobs. The priest conducts the ritual bows by chanting in Minodian while kissing the ground at first and then conducting dua while singing hymns. The offering of incense and scented oil is then made again before the offering of wood. The priest then takes ash from the fire into a container with a special ladle.The priest then withdraws from the shrine, sweeping away footprints and offering salt, incense and water. Sistra are then rung as the shrine is closed. Worshippers prostrate before the shrine at this time. The priest goes around carrying the container with the sacred ash and gives the ash to the left hand of the worshipper who then uses his right hand to wipe it on his forehead and eyelids. The priest then ascends the Pāshta and reads from the Ayim. While worshippers contemplate the message of Spenta. The Great Rite ends with the rattling of sistra and the priest's prostration before the Pāshta and the shrine and his descent from the Pāshta. Spentism Spentism originated in the city of Argadare around seven hundred and fourteen years ago on Ashta 1, 1 IC. An angel by the name of Haraphas descended from the heavens while the thirty-year old Hammun was drawing water from the Arges. Haraphas came and revealed to him that the world was a battleground between Shah and Aprash, two theological concepts roughly corresponding to "order" and "chaos" and that humanity would need to choose which one they would support which will affect the outcome of the Day of Wrath. Haraphas told him that he would need to return each day at morning, noon and evening to receive more information and that he needed to tell others of the message. Hammun told others of this revelation but few believed him and as he was believed to be a lunatic, was forced out of the town. Hammun then hid and lived in a cave several miles upstream. After three days of living in the cave, Hammun heard a voice, "" which translates to, "My son, where have you gone?" Hammun knelt on the ground and replied in a voice pained and ashamed, "Oh my Queen, most high and esteemed Lady, I did as the angel Haraphas has told me. I told the others of your message but they did not believe me. They believed I was mad and forced me out of town. Please, my lady, I beg of you to choose someone else, someone who is worthy of respect. For you see, my Lady, I am but a peasant, a farmer and I am not worthy to bear your message. Pardon me, for my boldness, my Lady. Far be it from me to disrespect you by my reply." The voice replied, "Hear, my son and understand that I have others I could send, but it befits that you should tell others of my message. It is my will and desire that this be accomplished through you. I tell you, go back to the town at dawn tomorrow and tell them once more of your message."My lady, I will do as you ask. I shall return to the river at noon to tell you of what has transpired." He then returned to the town and preached once more but this time the people grew even angrier and imprisoned him. He was to await a trial by the priests the next day. Surely, he thought, the Lady would understand why he was unable to keep his appointment that noon as he had promised. His wife, Amirta and his son, Hurya came that night and told him that they would come with him if need be. He told them that they should remain in the town and leave him to suffer so that they would not need to suffer for his sake. The priests came the next day and told him that he was forever banished from the town. If he was ever found within the town again, he would be crushed to death by elephants. At noon, Hammun hustled off on his way out of the town. As he drew near the river where he had spoken to the Lady, he was faced with a dilemma; surely he would find her waiting for him if he took the usual path, and he was ashamed of his failure. So he decided to leave the town through a different route, far from the river, there were no paths here and the ground was rough and rocky, in his hopes of avoiding a confrontation. He thought to slip unseen by the eyes of her who sees all; but, as he passed by the spot where he had fetched water several days before, he could scarcely believe what his eyes beheld; for up ahead of him he saw a great column of fire erupt from the river and flew to him in shades of red, green and blue. "My dear little one, where are you going?" the Lady asked. Hammun was overcome with shame and utterly confused, he spontaneously uttered pleasantries,"My lady, are you well? How is your health?" The Lady must have been amused by his words but Hammun regained his composure. "I am sorry, my lady. They did not believe me and I was imprisoned. The priests discussed with themselves and I was banished from the town." "Do not fear, my son. But know that the priests have changed their minds and they are searching for you right now so that you may be killed." A white stallion appeared on the horizon and knelt before the flame. "Come and I will lead you somewhere safe." Angels are spirits who seek to free all humans from suffering by supporting and guiding us on to the path of goodness. Each person is accompanied by one for their protection and Spentists often pray to them. They have a singular commitment to bring all humans to heaven, a great compassion, a love for others which surpasses any usual understandings of altruism. They act as guides for life and are the spirits of those who gone to heaven but out of compassion, they have volunteered to descend to earth to stand by individuals to the end of their days. Spenta advised Hammun to invoke them for help whenever he found himself in danger. If not for them, Aprash and his demons would have corrupted all off humanity. They serve as an ideal which the soul has to strive for and emulate. They manifest the energy of Spenta, and preserve order in creation. The Egyptian conception of the universe centered on Ma'at, a word that encompasses several concepts in English, including "truth," "justice," and "order." It was the fixed, eternal order of the universe, both in the cosmos and in human society. It had existed since the creation of the world, and without it the world would lose its cohesion. In Egyptian belief, Ma'at was constantly under threat from the forces of disorder, so all of society was required to maintain it. On the human level this meant that all members of society should cooperate and coexist; on the cosmic level it meant that all of the forces of nature—the gods—should continue to function in balance.20 This latter goal was central to Egyptian religion. The Egyptians sought to maintain Ma'at in the cosmos by sustaining the gods through offerings and by performing rituals which staved off disorder and perpetuated the cycles of nature The cult centre of Aten was at the new city Akhetaten; some other cult cities include Thebes and Heliopolis. The principles of Aten's cult were recorded on the rock walls of tombs of Tall al-Amarnah. Significantly different from other ancient Egyptian temples, temples of Aten were colorful and open-roofed to allow the rays of the sun. Doorways had broken lintels and raised thresholds. No statues of Aten were allowed; those were seen as idolatry.10 Priests had less to do, since offerings (fruits, flowers, cakes) were limited, and oracles were not needed.11 Temples of Aten did not collect tax. In the worship of Aten, the daily service of purification, anointment and clothing of the divine image was not performed. Incense was burnt several times a day. Hymns sung to Aten were accompanied by harp music. Aten's ceremonies in Akhetaten involved giving offerings to Aten with a swipe of the royal scepter. Instead of barque processions, the royal family rode on a chariot on festival days. (HEN-oo) or "honor gesture" is a Kemetic Orthodox reference to gestures of praise accompanying worship. Two simple examples of henu are the prayer gesture (hands out in front of you, palms up, open, and slightly cupped) and praise or "ka" gesture (arms up and bent at 90 degree angles with palms out). The Spentist soul Pa-life-force which leaves the body after death. It is your soul and is what keeps you alive. Fravashi-a spirit of sorts that lives in your body and remains with the body after death. Rituals for the dead allow it to leave the body and merge with the pa. These rituals were not necessary but were believed to bring comfort for the dead and ease their passing into the afterlife. The Pa and Fravashi unite to allow a human to return from death in the afterlife and become alive once more. The soul is then judged by Spenta who brings us to heaven, hell(Spentist hell is temporary and is purification fir sins) or the soul simply ceases to exist. A prayer for the forgiveness of sins is done before death. Without last rights no danger in losing salvation Pope Cardinals Archbishops Bishops Priests The laity Pesse of Argadare (From Passuda)-red Archscune-yellow Scune(From Sakuna)-Blue High Priest-Green Priests-White, Sade-Black Laity Pharaoh Viziers and high priests Royal overseers District governirs Scribes Laity Pope Archbishops Bishops Temple High Priests Priest Laity It is the year 714 in the Chrysan Calendar the 18th day of the 2nd month when Hella's chapter starts September 3 is the New Year Lachia had just recently begun to be converted to Spentism. As with Russia in 986. Pagans still presist though they continue to decrease in number. As late as 1071 there were still pagan rebellions. Spenta is based off of Amun, Ra, Ptah, Isis and Ahura Mazda Series starts on December 19, 1098 In the beginning there was only Spenta. She was there from the beginning, the Hidden One. The world was a vast ocean of chaos and nothingness. But Spenta thought, and she spoke. From her words came order. She conceived the world through her thoughts and gave it life through her words. And so came the world. She was the creative force that made the earth. It was she who stirred the nothingness and brought life through her word. Controversy Were Idols of Spenta acceptable? Was the soul two(human and earthly) or one? Was the worship of ancestors acceptable? Did the Nisse truly possess the pa of Spenta? Was the Nisse truly necessary or were the Orbents sufficient? Was Ayme truly the center of the Faith? Were priests really supposed to be chaste? Were priests required to be ascetic? Was the giving of offerings necessary? Sade-Funerary priests Spenta always existed. She is distinct from tne primeval waters and she did not create herself Traditionally, the Ayme stas that people are ready to get married at the age of fifteen. Silver coins are offered by the women of both families to each other, meeting at their homes. Two lamps are lit and ladies got to each others homes to place a silver coun on the lamps. Wedding rings are also exchanged, Third day before wedding, groom's family goes to bride's family house and offers dowry. The brides family feeds the husbands family, On the first day of the four days of the wedding, a twig is planted by the door of their future house, the dead are honored in the next 2 days. On the fourthd ay, the bride and groom will bathe. A procession is then held towards the groom's house bearing gifts which then heads towards the brids house where she waits. The brides mother will wait for the groom at the door. The groom drops amsilver coin into a pot ofnwater. The groom seats to the right of the bride, facing east. Two priests officiate and they ask if they consent to the marriage. Apriest then jouns their right hands together and circles a white cloth around seven times while a prayer is said. The priests then blesses the couple and questions are asked of them. They them both east of the same dish. Nuptial songs are then sung before thenwedding feast isnheld where a toast to spenta is done. Spenta-Amun,Ptah,Isis,Ganga,Ahura Mazda,Aten Arges-Ganges,Mississipi,Rio de la Plata Minody-Varanasi/Mohenjo Daro with the same temperature as San Diego You will be judged based on how good or bad you were in life. You will be judged based on your deeds. It is not necessary to believe in Spenta. Pisha-Pope/Pharaoh-Pesse Nahar-Cardinals/Viziers-Nore Ubar-Archbishops/Royal Overseers-Archscune Sakuniya-Bishops/District Governors-Scune Zarmat- Lector Priest-Priest Sada-Funerary Priest-Sade In Sarassic Spentism, there is no hierarchy but there are priests who serve at the temple but live with their families. Unlike Sabatic Priests, they do not live solitarily but return to their families by night and are allowed to leave the temple when not on duty. Sarassics do, however, have Hapas or High Priests who lead a community of priests at a temple and is elected by the priests. 6:00 pm to 7:00-Great Rite 12:00 noon to 1:00 noon-Great Rite 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm- Classes on Spentist Teachings 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm-Great Rite The Temple is used as a place of worship, place of study, and community center as well. The Great Rites are held at dawn, noon and dusk and are performed by the priests, though anyone can visit the temple and pray at any time. Religious studies are also held at a temple and studies of Spentist Teachings are held. Spentists can also gather at Spentist Temples where food offered can be distributed, people can congregate, etc. Shops are considered to disturb the atmosphere and are not present at temple grounds although they can be found near temples to support the temple's maintenance Priests also live at temples Temples are dedicated to Spenta and her teachings. People may approach priests and ask for rites to be done such as Funerary Rites, Healing Rites, Execration Rites, Exorcism Rites Circumcision is performed by priests in public with a stone knife, though it was more common among the rich. Coming of age ceremony-The Priest prays a prayer of repentance first for the initiate. The inititate then says the declaration of faith. Then says: The will of the Lady is the Law of Righteousness. The deeds of the world are to be judged by her accordingly. He who relieves the poor brings order to the world. The Priest then stands behind the inititate and starts a hymn to spenta and the initiate joins in. The priest then recites the good wishes and blessings prayer to the initiate. The priest then gives the child a New Parbatian Name to signify their transition to adulthood. The name is only used in Spentist documents. The New Name is used by people of the same generation as it is considered disrespectful to use the given name. So only the owner and their elders can use the given name. The usage of the New Name is only a Parbatian,Nadaean, illuvian and coscan thing. The Dead are typically referred to with their New Name although it varies with nation. The Parbatians, Illuvians and Coscans use the New Name upon death but the others don't. Spentist Creation Story ----------------- In the beginning there was nothing but a vast and endless ocean in the darkness. Spenta blew and a great wind moved over the ocean and stirred it. Spenta made a mound rise over the ocean, it stretched over the surface of the ocean creating land. First, she shaped the sky of metal and placed the sun, moon and stars there. Next, she made freshwater. Then came the plants, moist and thornless. Next came the animals, big and small. Then she shaped clay into two human shapes and breathed into them to give them life. Next she made fire and ordered it to serve mankind. When the world was done, Spenta established Mashtar, the cosmic law and order that would govern the universe. The two humans, Kasavird and Sashevat had three sons and five daughters. Their first son was the wisest and was an ardent worshipper. Their second was a benevolent and great leader and had a daughter. The third was a liar, thief and a trickster. The third son was attracted to the daughter of the second son and decided that she would be his. The third son went to the daughter's house to kidnap her but when he went there, he found his brother there. He tricked his brother into coming with him to a river so he could help him look for his wife's necklace which had fallen in. As the brother was searching, the third son drowned the brother and killed him. He then proceeded to rape his brother's daughter, impregnating her with six children. Spenta was all-knowing and knew of the third son's actions. She went up to him and cursed him and his sons, turning them into beasts. The third son and his children were then banished from the great mound. The third son was distraught and commited suicide by drowning himself. He rose again as an evil spirit and with his sons, attacked Spenta's creations. Spenta made seven spirits from her own soul and and assigned them the task of protecting the world from the destructive forces of evil. They succeeded and the power of evil was weakened enough so that their effects was not as pronounced. Evil tried to destroy water but they only made it bitter. They tried to destroy the earth but they made only mountains and valleys. They tried to kill all the plants but they only grew thorns. The evil spirit and his sons brought sadness and pain. But the seven spirits could not prevent the death of all humans as the demons attacked the first humans and gave them sickness and death. Spenta wept at what had occured and humans sprang anew from where the ground where her tears had fallen. Now the sons of the evil spirit still remained on earth and they stole and raided human settlements. The humans gathered together one day joined to put an end to the sons of the evil spirit. A woman offered herself up to help accomplish the task. She managed to convince one of the sons that she had fallen in love with him and that she wanted to meet his brothers before they had their wedding. The woman was left in the care of one of the sons while her husband-to-be searched for his other brothers. When they were all together, they had the wedding. The brothers drank freely and soon became drunk. It was then that the woman attempted to leave the house but her husband prevented her. She then screamed to alert the humans who were waiting outside and knowing that she would not survive anyway, she ordered them to burn the house even with her inside. While this killed her, it also destroyed the sons of the evil spirit who were then cursed to remain in the underworld, only returning to the upper world at times. Ayim ________ Ayim means dawn in Parbatian First Part of the Ayim is the first meeting till the escape from Arkadaru Second Part is the Flight from Arkadaru to the Delta of the Arka Third Part is the Protection in the Delta Fourth Part is the revelation also known as the Pambitug(Hearing in Parbatian and also means revelation) Revelation is divided into 35 1st in Revelation is Creation Myth 2nd is Early Mankind and the banishment of Tamaal 3rd is the Great Winter caused by Tamaal and his sons 4th is Vishra, the first son's reign over early man and his attempts to save them 5th is the victory of Tamaal and the return of mankind from Spenta's tears 6th is the destruction of Tamaal and the pact with mankind to follow Spenta and the diffusion of mankind 7th to 14th are the Laws of Spenta 15th to 35th is how to follow the Great Rite also known as Parkutal Tipura meaning the Great Ritual in Parbatian Lessons on how to live a good life are mentioned from Chapters 1 to 6 5th part is the preaching along the Arka 6th is the capture at Arkadaru and his lamentations at the Silence of Spenta(Silence by Shusaku endo) 7th is his execution by elephants though as he is brought to the plaza and the elephants are nearing him, his ropes burn off and he glows with fire and is raised up, blinding everyone for a moment before he disappears in a bright flash of fire Spentist Theology the divine is not only before (creation) or after (life), but also a hidden unity (a soul) in creation & in life, enduringin all things ; the divine is not exclusively outward (and remote) but also inward (and near) ; lastly, the divine will is the final ethical authority : nothing happens outside the divine will. "1. the emphasis on the oneness and hiddenness of the god ; 2. the predication of the god as 'i.ba' in connection with the concept of hiddenness ; 3. the formula of the 'one who makes himself into millions', with all its variants ; 4. the concept of the god dwelling in the world as 'ba', image and body, who has created the world as earth, heaven and underworld for these three constituent elements of his self ; 5. the theory of the 'life-giving elements', i.e. the concept that god sustains and gives life to the world not only by, but also as light, air and water ; 6. the idea of all-prevasiveness in the form of air, as is expressed in the formula (Jmn) mnw m jht nbt enduring in all things ; 7. the role of this god as god of time and fate in connection with 8. his personal aspect as 'ethical authority'. Spenta has not destroyed Tamaal(Tamayel) because she wishes to preserve his free will. Humans choose freely between good or evil for their afterlife though they would also do this in relation to the final battle between Spenta and Tamaal when Spenta and her angels will crush Tamaal and destroy him and his servants once and for all because humans must choose good over evil so Tamaal will be destroyed and humans will be spared from destruction. Spenta does not destroy Tamaal now because doing so would also involve the destruction of all humans because to destroy him is to destroy all evil and destroying him would result in evil remaining in our world but he would be gone. He is a cause of evil but we too are causers of evil and Spenta will still not be able to usher in an Era of Eternal Light because we remain evil and she wishes not to remove our free will and she will not usher in that Era till the world is free from evil. She wishes to destroy Tamaal at the same time the world is made good. Barhat Festival(Death) Celebration of the Death of Hartan which is celebrated on the 17th day of the first month. It is a day of mourning and discussions and lectures are held on the life and works of the prophet. Dasgal Festival(Birth) Celebration of the Birth of Hartan. Celebrated on the 6th day of the 1st month. Feast is held. The Neuthine Days The last 5 days of the year spent in penitence. From the Parbatian "Nahut" meaning confession. The Gabat Festival(Fire) A festival held a hundred days after winter. It recalls the importance of light, fire and energy and commemorates the discovery of fire by Ankala, the first king. The festivities would go on for three days as a great fire is lit, usually beside waterforms or temples. The 10 days of Mourning It recalls the death of all of mankind during the great winter caused by Tamaal. During this, the souls of the dead are commemorated. It is celebrated during the last 10 days of the year and overlap with the Neuthine Days. It is done like the Day of the Dead and the dead are believed to leave their tombs and return to their families. Temples and shrines are cleaned and bread and beer are offered to the dead. Satal Tipura(Great Day) The New Year is celebrated as Dilmura, the brightest star rises over the Arges. It is the first day of the year and execrations against Tamaal are done at temples while the bad stuff in your life is execrated too. Celebrations are done. The New Year originally changed depending on Dilmura's rising but the day was standardizded under Sippar. Ipaya Festival(Create) The Holiest Day of the year and is celebrated on the fifteenth day of the second month. Food is distributed by the temples. It is a celebration of the creation of the world. The Ayim is taken from the temple and is paraded althroughout the town. Bas Festival(Angel) Celebrated on the seventh day of the fifth month. It is commemorated to remember the angels. It is celebrated by fasting. Ipaya festival will occur early in the books 6:00 pm to 7:00-Great Rite 12:00 noon to 1:00 noon-Great Rite 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm- Classes on Spentist Teachings 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm-Great Rite The Temple is used as a place of worship, place of study, and community center as well. The Great Rites are held at dawn, noon and dusk and are performed by the priests, though anyone can visit the temple and pray at any time. Religious studies are also held at a temple and studies of Spentist Teachings are held. Spentists can also gather at Spentist Temples where food offered can be distributed, people can congregate, etc. Shops are considered to disturb the atmosphere and are not present at temple grounds although they can be found near temples to support the temple's maintenance Priests also live at temples Temples are dedicated to Spenta and her teachings. People may approach priests and ask for rites to be done such as Funerary Rites, Healing Rites, Execration Rites, Exorcism Rites Circumcision is performed by priests in public with a stone knife, though it was more common among the rich. Coming of age ceremony-The Priest prays a prayer of repentance first for the initiate. The inititate then says the declaration of faith. Then says: The will of the Lady is the Law of Righteousness. The deeds of the world are to be judged by her accordingly. He who relieves the poor brings order to the world. The Priest then stands behind the inititate and starts a hymn to spenta and the initiate joins in. The priest then recites the good wishes and blessings prayer to the initiate. The priest then gives the child a New Parbatian Name to signify their transition to adulthood. The name is only used in Spentist documents. The New Name is used by people of the same generation as it is considered disrespectful to use the given name. So only the owner and their elders can use the given name. The Dead are typically referred to with their New Name although it varies with nation. The Parbatians, Illuvians and Coscans use the New Name upon death but the others don't. The Mountains of Cosca are called the Coscanes. Spenta, Lady of Earth, I come to open your doors. Spenta, earth ladyof, Iagent here for openfutureimmediate sdoorpatientyour Spanta, Arti Nannagi, tulak upa ish atimi kadalkipa Lady, Have Mercy on Us Nanna, pita hatabmi Lady, you optativemercyimmediate Spenta Lady of the World, I come to open your doors. Spanta Arti Nannagi, tulak upa ish atimi kadalkipa. Spenta, earth ladyof, Iagent here for openfutureimme Lady, in the beginning of days you made the world and all in it Nanna, ul nadu kamaangagi pita karal arti yaa talu gu upa. Lady, in beginning sdayof you made world and all that here. You have saved all of mankind from chaos and banished it to the abyss Pita With outspread hands in petition we pray for the works of the holy spirit We pray for the will of Good Thought and That Which is Right We ask for the gift of the Law which you have given us all We ask for wisdom and strength to overcome the chaos in our lives With these bounties, O Spenta, may we never provoke your wrath, we who sing the Great Songs The wise whom you know as worthy, for their good thoughts and right conduct, may we be like them Teach us, O Spenta, to preserve That which is Right for evermore, and to teach as your prophets have done